Breathe You In
by CorrinaRox
Summary: Pride and Kayla grew up together. Which one falls in love, while the other feels betrayed? The Virus sends them on different paths. Can they find each other again or is moving on with separate tribes the way it has to be? {AU focused on Pride and a female OC. Minor roles from Lex and Tai-San.}
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1

'Pride! Get off the computer! I'm not going to tell you again!' But she would tell him again. She always told him again. Prides mom never seemed to get tired of nagging him about something. He was starting to hate the sound of his own name because when he heard it, there was always a lecture coming with it.

Prides dad had left when he was five. He said he was going out for milk and after awhile Pride knew he wasn't coming back. It stung sometimes, knowing that his dad didn't want him. But then he would remember how much his mother loved him, even thru the nagging.

He finally logged off the computer and dragged himself downstairs for lunch. 'We are going over to meet the new neighbors today, so eat fast' his mother said. 'I'm pretty sure they aren't axe murderers this time,eh?' Wink. Pride rolled his eyes. The people who had lived there before looked like they kept children in their basement and it had given him the creeps, so he made the classic mistake of telling his mom. Now, she took every opportunity to remind him how stupid it was. But he was seven now and much braver. There was nothing in that house that worried him.

After he finished lunch, his mom reminded him to be friendly, to smile and to not be afraid. 'Mom! I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm not afraid of the house!' Pride grumbled, partly to reassure himself.

They walked over to the neighbors house, stepping over boxes and staying out of the way of the busy movers. A man and a woman were directing people what things were to go where but they stopped when they saw Pride and his mother. Apparently no one else had come to welcome them yet so they were quite excited to see some friendly faces. The woman said she had a daughter who was Prides age and yelled for the girl. 'Kayla! Get over here!'

Pride smiled at the idea that someone else's mom was hollering for them for once.

A small girl, maybe six or seven, trudged out of the backyard, whining about how she was in the middle of building a fort and she really didn't have time for distractions. 'Kayla this is Pride and his mother.' Her father said 'they live in the house next to us. Maybe he can help you build your fort!' Pride felt her dissaproving gaze and suddenly he wished he spent more time outside instead of on the computer. Maybe his mother had been right...

'Sorry Pride. It's a girls only fort. Kayla yelled as she ran back to the backyard. 'Better luck next time.'

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	2. Chapter 2

Sometimes Pride tried to remember what life was like before Kayla moved next door. The memory of being inside all day playing on a computer made him feel empty. Strange that he had never thought there could be anything more to life than the glow of the screen. He used to resent his mother pleading with him to go outside, or to try and make a friend. Now it took begging and bribery to get him inside for homework or meals.

It hadn't taken long for Pride and Kayla to become best friends. 'Sunshine and fresh air won't kill you!' was her constant battle cry when she was trying to help him get over his disdain for the outdoors. The steps were small but somehow Pride was beginning to love being outside. Running trails, learning animal calls and even building a 'boys only' fort, just to tease Kayla. Lately it seemed like she was trying to keep up with him.

Middle school seemed like a different world. People were happy to see him in the halls and he liked to hang out with his friends. Now that he wasn't holed up in his room all day, he found that talking to people was easy. He wasn't particularly interested in studying, but he got through the monotony relatively unscathed. It was hard to stay focused sometimes when he could see the birds soaring or smell the rain coming.

As usual, the lunch table was buzzing with the latest gossip and rumors. As much as he liked to hang out with his friends, Pride found it tedious and petty. He avoided listening when he could but the recent rumors were about him. Supposedly he and Kayla were dating and he was fighting every other boy who tried to talk to her. The same gossip was recycled every few months and Pride had learned to leave it alone. Kayla had more fun with things like that. It was her greatest joy to egg things on and see how gullible people could be. Pride let her have her fun for the most part but every now and then he had to reign her in. He learned that the hard way when she teased the wrong person, they took offense. and Pride took the beating for it.

Today, instead of hearing some tall tale about seeing brad Pitt at the mall and getting a part in his next movie, he heard girlish giggles from Kaylas side of the table. Pride was confused - he had never heard her laugh like that before. He looked around to see what had her attention and saw she was talking to Lex. Rolling his eyes, Pride tried not to think about Lex and his reputation for making girls swoon. Surely she was to smart to play into that game. The thought of it was making him tense up and giving him a headache. He shoved up from the table and left, leaving his friends confused at his sudden departure.

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	3. Chapter 3

Pride was torn between skipping class again or staying to have some time with Kayla. Lex still had her captivated, so he always took any chance he could to get his best friends attention back.

Over the last few years, Pride had gotten bigger. He stood taller than his classmates and you could tell he spent time outside by his physique. Every year coaches were begging hkm to try out for the team. 'We need you! You have natural talent!' They would say. Every year he declined. Something about football made him think of cavemen.

As a general rule, he tried to avoid conflict when he could. Pride had almost mastered the art of letting things slide. He wasn't afraid of confrontation, but he knew his temper could get the better of him. As hard as he tried, he could not think about lex and Kayla without getting angry.

Usually he tried to ignore Lex at lunch. He was always saying rude and filthy things and It made Pride sick. But Today at lunch, Lex was bragging about taking Kayla to prom. More specifically, bragging about how far he was going to get with Kayla after prom. Pride could feel every muscle in his body tense up in anger and it took all the control he could muster to keep himself from grabbing Lex by the shirt and punching him in the nose. Every time Pride tried to warn Kayla about him, she would sigh and say ' this again? I can take care of myself you know.' It was frustrating since all he wanted to do was protect her from the jerk. His mom often teased that the reason he was being so protective was because he was jealous. Pride rolled his eyes at the thought.

'Earth to Pride! Hello?!' He shook his head and realized that Kayla was trying to talk to him about something.

'What?...jeez ease up on the screaming!' Pride muttered

'I asked if you were planning on going to prom tonight. I know you said you were thinking about it a couple weeks ago but are you really going to go?' Kayla inqured.

He thought about it for a moment. He had never really been the 'prom' type. Nothing about dances particularly appealed to him. But Kayla looked so excited and...hopeful that he couldn't say no.

'I might make an appearance. I haven't decided.' He made sure to make it sound like he was really on the fence about it

'Please come! Your my best friend. You have to be there! Make the right choice' she yelled as she ran off to class.

He watched her leave, and decided to skip the rest of the day and go for a long run to get rid of the nervous energy he was suddenly feeling.

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	4. Chapter 4

Pride was regretting this decision already. He chose to skip the tux, going with a button up shirt, black jeans and the beaded leather friendship bracelet Kayla made him in fourth grade. He kept his converse shoes on, but did his best to wipe the mud off. It was still the most dressed up he had ever been. His hair just brushed his shoulders and had been washed and combed. Pride briefly considered cutting it. He preferred it shorter but Kayla persuaded him to grow it out. Everyone seemed to like it and he usually just tied it back if it bothered him.

The long run he had taken had done nothing to calm his nerves. Pride looked at his reflection in the mirror and sighed. He felt like a fool playing dress up and he debated just not going. How mad could Kayla possibly be? It's not like she didn't have a date to pay attention to. The thought of it made his heart feel like someone had poked it.

The noise of his mother downstairs broke him out of the daze he was in. The moment he told her he was going to prom, she couldn't stop thanking her lucky stars and saying she could now die a happy woman. Every ten minutes she would call up the stairs 'hurry up and get down here!' 'Let's see how dashing you look!' 'Don't think you are escaping without pictures!'

Fantastic...

The moon always helped calm him down. Something about its consistency soothed him whenever he was feeling worried or angry or lost. He looked out his window to try and find it but instead of looking up and seeing the moon, Pride looked down. And saw Kayla.

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	5. Chapter 5

As he watched Kayla walk out of her house, he forgot how to breathe. This couldn't be his best friend.

Radiant. Stunning. Exquisite. The words fell short. His brain was a scrambled mess trying to comprehend what he was seeing. It was only when his lungs started to burn that he realized he hadn't been breathing. Pride sucked in a deep gulp of air and refocused.

He turned back to the window to see Kayla again. Instead of the girl who wouldn't let him play in her 'girls only' fort, Pride now saw the woman he would move mountains for.

Then his high came crashing down as he saw Lex follow Kayla to the car. The familiar painful poke in his heart was suddenly magnified by a thousand and his joy turned into a mix of rage, despair and jealousy.

Pride hardly heard his mother yell after him as he flew down the stairs and out the door. He had to get to prom. Fast. Heart pounding and thoughts racing, he turned on some loud music to try and calm down. 'Deep breaths. Take it easy. Don't be a moron.' he repeated to himself. Pride didn't know exactly what he planned on doing once he got to the dance but figuring it out on the go seemed like a better option than sitting around doing nothing.

The large room was packed with students, some dancing and others standing in groups talking. Pride started to weave his way through the mass of people looking for Kayla, when he heard gasps and whispers around him. His determined pace slowed as he reaLized the whispers were about him. Pride knew he looked a little different than usual, but all the people who were looking at him were starting to make him wish he had stayed home.

Just as he was thinking of turning around and dealing with this Lex problem another day, he felt someone grab his hand. Kayla. She looked even more amazing up close. She had some kind of glitter on that was making her skin shimmer in the dim light. 'Like a moth to the flame.' he thought to himself. Pride did his best to hide the fact that his heart was pounding. He realized she had been saying somthing but he was to stunned to hear what it was. He cleared his throat and said 'Kayla you look amazing!' She seemed pleased to hear it and was about to reply when Lex sauntered up behind her.

'There's my date! What are you doing over here with the wild man?' Lex meant to sound intimidating but it was obvious he had been drinking and his words came out slurred. 'Lets go dance, babe.' Prides stomach turned as Lex slung his arm possessively around Kayla, pulling her closer to him. She rolled her eyes and as they walked away she looked back at Pride, smiled and yelled 'save me a dance!'

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	6. Chapter 6

As hard as he tried to make small talk with the other students, Pride couldn't focus on anything other than Kayla. She was across the room standing with some friends and talking to Lex. He forced himself to turn back around and get some punch. His knuckles were white from clinching his fists.

He took a gulp of punch and almost choked. It was no suprise Lex was drunk. The punch was spiked and whoever did it had a very heavy hand. He tossed the cup away but then thought that maybe one glass wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. After all he was having a rough night.

He poured a bigger glass than he should have, and downed it in one big drink. It was like fire going down, and Pride struggled to keep it from coming back up. When he opened his eyes, he locked eyes with Kayla and took a deep breath. Someone was trying to talk to him about a new spot they had found to fish, but he only heard noise. Pride was focused on the only thing that mattered. While he was lost in his thoughts, he noticed he couldn't see Lex and Kayla anymore. He scanned the groups of people and finally located them near the edge of the dance floor. A slower song started playing and he knew it was now or never.

 _For a moment, I'm a poet without words_

 _Speechless cause you love me at my worst_

It was like his legs were moving on their own. Before he had time to think about what he was actually going to do, he was standing behind Kayla. 'I believe you owe me a dance!' He told her and quickly led her away, leaving a confused Lex behind.

Pride had been waiting for this moment and now his mind had gone blank. Where was he supposed to look? Would it be creepy to smile at her? Ugh, how big of a spaz could he be?! Fighting the urge to pour out his heart right then and there, he took a deep breath. Instead of her usual light vanilla body spray,tonight she wore something spicy and exotic. It made his head spin even more than it already was.

 _I let it surface and all I know is_

 _Today I woke up, falling in love again_

Kayla seemed aware of the awkwardness as well. Maybe she felt the change in the air between them. Maybe she was just repulsed by him. Doubts began to creep in and he almost abandoned hope until he closed his eyes and told himself 'no! Do something! You have to do something!'

 _All I know is, today I woke up_

 _Falling in love again_

Pride opened his eyes and wondered how long he had been trailing his fingers up and down Kaylas back. The small thrill he felt in his heart turned to an explosion of joy when he realized the she was running her fingers up and down the back of his neck.

As he tried to speak, Kayla smiled and ran her fingers thru his hair, pushing it out of his face. Time stood still around them as he savored the feeling and Prides mind suddenly cleared. He moved to pull her closer and gently brought her lips to his.

Kayla pulled away and they stood looking at each other, unsure of what happened. Just when Pride was ready to hang his head in shame and run home, Kayla was pulling him back to her, catching him off gaurd and kissing him hard.

All of a sudden Pride was being jerked back and his joy vanished as he was thrown to the floor. He jumped up to see Lex standing over him, still drunk, trying not to fall over himself. 'That's my woman, granola! Get away from her!' Prides rage grew as Lex grabbed Kayla roughly and tried to kiss her. Without thinking, Pride launched himself at Lex, punching him over and over and over as the crowd that had gathered looked on in shock.

 _Today I woke up, falling in love again..._

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	7. Chapter 7

Getting kicked out of prom wasn't a bit deal. Getting suspended was a slightly bigger issue. Pride didn't regret beating the hell out of Lex for a minute, but two weeks suspension just seemed a bit excessive.

He had expected Kayla to leave prom with him, or at least come over to see how he was doing. His knuckles hurt and his lips tingled when he remembered what had happened. He wanted her to say something… anything about what had happened between them, but it was as if nothing had happened. Pride began to feel awkward around her and wished he could forget it, but every night he would fall asleep remembering how she had felt in his arms. And every morning he would wake with a new ache in his heart.

Not that his love life really mattered at this moment in time. People were getting sick. Really sick. It seemed to only be affecting the adults but somehow that seemed to make it worse. Pride's mom was in the hospital, and as far as he could tell Kayla's parents hadn't left their house in weeks. Some of his friends had stopped coming to school because their parents had died. It felt like things were spiralling out of control, and there was nothing he wanted more than to talk to Kayla.

Pride spent hours talking to his mom in the hospital. They both knew this was more serious than a common virus and each was trying to prepare the other for what was about to happen. Pride told his mom his fears, and even admitted what had happened with Kayla. His mom had laughed, "I'm your mother" she said "I can read you like a book!" He braced himself for the typical 'mom' advice but instead she had shaken her head "There's going to be a new world Pride… I can't tell you what to do. It sounds awful but don't live like we are now. People will follow your lead, if you are strong enough and brave enough to let them. Now, stop asking for advice and turn on the TV, Judge Judy is on."

{I love reviews, opinions, suggestions...all of it! Thanks guys!}."


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